Blairsville GA Real Estate

7 Factors to Consider When Choosing A Home to Retire In

As more and more baby boomers enter retirement age, the question of
whether or not to sell their homes and move will become a hot topic. In
today’s housing market climate, with low available inventory in the
starter and trade-up home categories, it makes sense to evaluate your
home’s ability to adapt to your needs in retirement.

According to the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents (NAEBA), there are 7 factors that you should consider when choosing your retirement home.

1. Affordability

“It may be easy enough to purchase your home today
but think long-term about your monthly costs. Account for property
taxes, insurance, HOA fees, utilities – all the things that will be due
whether or not you have a mortgage on the property.”

Would moving to a complex with homeowner association fees actually be
cheaper than having to hire all the contractors you would need to
maintain your home, lawn, etc.? Would your taxes go down significantly
if you relocated? What is your monthly income going to be like in
retirement?

2. Equity

“If you have equity in your current home, you may be
able to apply it to the purchase of your next home. Maintaining a
healthy amount of home equity gives you a source of emergency funds to
tap, via a home equity loan or reverse mortgage.”

The equity you have in your current home may be enough to purchase
your retirement home with little to no mortgage. Homeowners in the US gained an average of over $14,000 in equity last year.

3. Maintenance

“As we age, our tolerance for cleaning gutters,
raking leaves and shoveling snow can go right out the window. A
condominium with low-maintenance needs can be a literal lifesaver, if
your health or physical abilities decline.”

As we mentioned earlier, would a condo with an HOA fee be worth the
added peace of mind of not having to do the maintenance work yourself?

4. Security

“Elderly homeowners can be targets for scams or
break-ins. Living in a home with security features, such as a manned
gate house, resident-only access and a security system can bring peace
of mind.”

As scary as that thought may be, any additional security and an extra
set of eyes looking out for you always adds to peace of mind.

5. Pets

“Renting won’t do if the dog can’t come too! The companionship of pets can provide emotional and physical benefits.”

Evaluate all of your options when it comes to bringing your ‘furever’
friend with you to a new home. Will there be necessary additional
deposits if you are renting or in a condo? Is the backyard fenced in?
How far are you from your favorite veterinarian?

6. Mobility

“No one wants to picture themselves in a wheelchair
or a walker, but the home layout must be able to accommodate limited
mobility.”

Sixty is the new 40, right? People are living longer and are more
active in retirement, but that doesn’t mean that down the road you won’t
need your home to be more accessible. Installing handrails and making
sure your hallways and doorways are wide enough may be a good reason to
look for a home that was built to accommodate these needs.

7. Convenience

“Is the new home close to the golf course, or to
shopping and dining? Do you have amenities within easy walking distance?
This can add to home value!”

How close are you to your children and grandchildren? Would
relocating to a new area make visits with family easier or more
frequent? Beyond being close to your favorite stores and restaurants,
there are a lot of factors to consider.

Bottom Line

When it comes to your forever home, evaluating your current house for
its ability to adapt with you as you age can be the first step to
guaranteeing your comfort in retirement. If after considering all these
factors you find yourself curious about your options, let’s get together
to evaluate your ability to sell your house in today’s market and get
you into your dream retirement home!

About Area

Blairsville, Georgia is a small mountain town located in the beautiful Blue Ridge
Mountains. Widely known for being one of the most desirable destinations for
outdoor adventurers, people come to Blairsville for mountain biking, hiking,
fishing or just to marvel at the perfect beauty of nature. A large portion of the
area is in the Chattahoochee National Forest, and therefore, will remain
untouched and naturally serene and beautiful. In 1942 Lake Nottely was created
by the Tennessee Valley Authority for power production. The resulting 4,180 acre
lake today is a source of Summer fun, with boating, fishing and swimming
abundant, and the river that feeds the lake offers some of the best trout fishing in
the state. Vogel State Park, located just outside of town, is centered around
Trahlyta Lake and Trahlyta Falls. With rustic cabins on site, and primitive camp
sites, you can stay for days or weeks and enjoy swimming, paddle boating and
fishing in the lake, hike to the falls, or even play putt-putt. Just beyond Vogel
State Park are several more waterfalls with hiking trails and areas to camp, fish, or
play in the creek. In addition to all of the majestic waterways running through the
valleys, the highest elevation in the state of Georgia is in Blairsville, on top of
Brasstown Bald Mountain. Here, you can hike up to the visitor’s center (or take a
shuttle) where you have a 360⁰ view, and can see four different states on a clear
day, have a picnic, visit the gift shop, and if you’re feeling adventurous, take one
of the longer hiking trails, one of which leads to the Appalachian Trail. You won’t
be surrounded by department stores or chain restaurants in Blairsville, but you
can find handcrafted, original creations in the small shops, or if you visit the
Farmer’s Market or one of the many festivals throughout the year. This is
certainly a beautiful and unique town worth seeing, perhaps you’ll even want to
stay, and if that’s the case, contact your Century 21 Scenic Realty. We are always
here for you!

Featured Properties

337 LIBERTY CHURCH LANE, Blairsville

3 Bathrooms

5 Bedrooms

$ 599900

9750 BLUE RIDGE HWY, Blairsville

$ 359900

9228 GAINESVILLE HIGHWAY, Blairsville

$ 289900

Client Reviews

Without Rick’s patience and ability to make the deal work the closing would have never taken place. I would strongly recommend Rick as an agent that can get the job done. If I ever had another need for a Real Estate Broker in the North Georgia Area"

- Bill Barnett

Thank you for your professional and courteous help with the sale…I can hardly believe that you were able to get a contract on the property hand have the sale closed in less than 90 days from the listing. That is a testimony to your skills, hard wor"

- Fenn Little

Thanks for the Great Stay, Me and my Family had a wonderful time in hiawassee and the vacation home was awesome, we will be back thanks!"

- Greg Sparrow

Ralph and I want to thank you and your staff for working so hard and doing such a great job on the sale of our home…The process of getting a house ready to sell is usually very stressful situation, especially when we live in a different location"

- Ralph and Nan Frey

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